Crockery basket and dishwasher

ABSTRACT

A crockery basket of a dishwasher for receiving pieces of crockery. The crockery basket includes a bottom; lateral parts framing the bottom; and at least one row of rods that are arranged on the bottom to hold the pieces of crockery. The row of rods has a base wire and individual rods that are attached to the base wire. The individual rod wires are connected to a connecting wire at a distance from the base wire and, in a raised state of the row of rods, the connecting wire is spaced away from the bottom.

The present invention relates to a crockery basket of a dishwasher for accepting pieces of crockery, comprising a bottom and lateral parts framing the bottom, with at least one row of rods for holding the pieces of crockery being arranged on the bottom, with said row of rods consisting of at least one base wire for the rods and at least one row of rods attached thereto comprising individual rod wires, as well as a dishwasher with a corresponding crockery basket.

A crockery basket is known from DE 72 35 591 U which has a bottom surrounded by lateral parts. Bottom and lateral parts consist of individual wires which are connected to each other. To accept pieces of crockery corrugated wires running in parallel are provided on the bottom of the crockery basket, on which wire rods are firmly arranged by one end in each case. The other end of the respective wire rod protrudes freely into the inside of the basket. The corrugated wires along with the wire rods serve to accommodate pieces of crockery. The disadvantage of this design of crockery basket is the expense of producing the crockery basket because of the corrugated wires. The corrugated wires which are located in the bottom area have the further disadvantage that pieces of crockery accommodated between the corrugated wires and the wire rods, especially small plates, protrude into an area below the crockery basket. This may result in the pieces of crockery being damaged by a spray arm which is frequently arranged below the crockery basket. The fixed arrangement of the wire rods also makes it difficult to fill the crockery basket with large pieces of crockery.

A crockery basket for dishwashers is known from DE 299 21 601 U1 in which a row of rods is arranged on the bottom for holding the pieces of crockery. The row of rods consists of a base wire for the row of rods and a row of rods attached thereto made from individual rod wires. In this invention the base wire for the rods lies on the bottom of the crockery basket which is a wire mesh. The crockery pieces are held between two rows of rods between two rod wires in each case. If necessary the rows of rods can be folded out and laid on the bottom. The pieces are supported with additional bent wires in the base mat of the crockery basket which grip the base wire for the rods. The disadvantage here is that the support point is also the point at which the piece of crockery is to be held. This means that stable and protective holding of the piece of crockery is not guaranteed. If the pieces of crockery are small plates for example, these protrude through the base mat of the crockery basket and can be damaged by a movement of a spray arm which is arranged below the wire mesh basket in the dishwasher. In addition the piece of crockery can come into contact with wires of the base mat of the bottom of the crockery basket, meaning that the piece of crockery is only held unstably and can likewise be damaged.

The object of the present invention is to avoid the disadvantages described above and ensure a stable position of a piece of crockery in the crockery basket, avoiding damage to the pieces of crockery and improving the washing performance and drying. In addition the crockery basket is to be flexible in the options for loading it.

The object is achieved by a crockery basket and a dishwasher with the features of the independent claims.

Inventively a crockery basket of a dishwasher for accepting pieces of crockery has a bottom as well as lateral parts which frame the bottom. At least one row of rods for holding the pieces of crockery is arranged on the bottom. The row of rods consists of a least one base wire for the rods and at least one row of rods comprising individual rod wires attached thereto. The individual rod wires are connected to a connecting wire at a prespecified distance from the base wire for the rods. The connecting wire is spaced away from the bottom in the raised state of the row of rods.

In accordance with the invention, the connecting wire is also spaced away from the bottom in the area of the row of rods in the raised state of the row of rods. With the present invention, for holding the piece of crockery between the rows of rods without additional wires or additional parts in a simple and cost-effective manner, a piece of crockery is held at a distance from the bottom of a crockery basket. The pieces of crockery are not held at the bottom level but at a level above the bottom, which means that parts of the pieces of crockery protruding downwards remain within the crockery basket. This achieves both a stable support of the pieces of crockery and thereby in turn protection against damage and also avoids the pieces of crockery being damaged outside the crockery basket by moving parts within the dishwasher. It also avoids pieces of crockery hitting parts of the housing of the dishwasher and thereby being able to be damaged when the crockery basket is pulled out of the dishwasher or pushed into it.

The inventive holding of the pieces of crockery in the rows of rods is achieved without significant additional outlay in the manufacturing of the crockery basket. The position at which the pieces of crockery are held is raised in relation to the bottom by the connecting wire. At the same time the row of rods is supported by the base wire for the row of rods resting on the bottom of the crockery basket. Even with heavy pieces of crockery bending of the row of rods downwards is avoided. If the pieces of crockery are at least partly placed and held on the connecting wire, these pieces of crockery, especially small plates, protrude into the area between connecting wire and base wire for the row of rods or the bottom but not down below the bottom. They are thus protected from damage from below. Usually the pieces of crockery are held by two identically embodied rows of rods, with each piece of crockery being arranged on two connecting wires running in parallel and between a total of four rod wires. The piece of crockery is thus held above the bottom. Preferably at least one end of the base wire for the rods is turned, i.e. bent and supported rotatably on the bottom. This expedient type of attachment of the base wire for the rods creates a row of rods which can be hinged out in an advantageous manner in relation to the bottom in the crockery basket. The crockery basket itself is versatile in its uses because of this. When the rows of rods are raised for example plates or bowls can be arranged and can be accommodated for better cleaning and for avoiding damage spaced between the rows of rods. For cleaning larger pieces of crockery the row of rods can be hinged away and space can thus be created to accept pots for example. The rotational or hinged positioning of the base wire at its end does not disadvantageously effect the holding of the pieces of crockery since the base wire is supported at a point, namely at the connecting wire which is not simultaneously used for supporting the pieces of crockery. This avoids damage to the pieces of crockery by components of the support system. In particular by the rotatable support of the rows of rods a flexible division of the crockery baskets can be achieved.

As an alternative to this however it can already be sufficient for the row of rods in the raised state to be rigidly connected to the bottom, especially firmly welded, soldered or fixed by another connection technique to the latter.

Advantageously the bottom consists of a base mat made of wire. This base mat, which essentially corresponds to a wire mesh, can be manufactured at low cost and guarantees good accessibility to the piece of crockery for the cleaning fluid as well as good drying of the piece of crockery. The base mat made of wire makes possible good stability of the crockery baskets with the smallest possible masking of the piece of crockery in relation to the cleaning liquid as well as the best possible drip drying of the drying piece of crockery.

If the base wire is arranged with its ends on the bottom or on the base mat, especially by means of a rotational support element in each case, then in an advantageous manner an especially simple connection between base mat of the bottom and base wire for the rods of the rows of rods is achieved. The rotational support element can either be the result of the shape of the wires in relation to one another or a separate rotational support element is used in which is connected to the bottom or to the base mat and guides the base wire for the rods rotatably. The row of rods is thus arranged flexibly in the crockery basket and thus makes possible on one hand stable holding of the pieces of crockery on the other hand the creation of a large-volume space without subdivision in which large pieces of crockery can also be supported and cleaned.

If one of the support elements for rotational support of the row of rods is especially a loose support and the other support element is a rigid support for the base wire, in an advantageous manner any manufacturing tolerances of the support elements, of the attachment points of the support elements on the bottom or the base mat and the row of rods with the base wire of the rods can be simply compensated for.

An especially simple and thus preferred attachment of the support element in the bottom, especially in the wires of the base mat is achieved by the support element being clipped into components of the bottom or into the wires of the base mat. This simplifies installation in particular.

If the support element features a latch for the end of the base wire, the row of rods is held in the corresponding position, especially in the upright position. The pieces of crockery can thus be easily introduced into the rows of rods without the latter trying to hinge away from them. Only with an intentional rotation of the row of rods is the latter to be moved by a slightly higher force being exerted from the first latched position into the other position.

It is advantageous for at least one end of the base wire to have a simple bend in which the bend preferably runs essentially at right angles to the base wire. The wire end before the bend allows a very simple connection to the rotational support on the bottom, especially on the base mat of the bottom. It is especially advantageous for the bend at the end of the base wire for the rods to be made such that the end of the base wire for the rods is essentially at right angles to the plane of the rod wires. If the bend also expediently runs in one direction which faces away from the folding direction of the rod wire, the wire end advantageously forms a stop via which the upright row of rods can be supported for example on a support face provided in the support element. At least one of the ends of the base wire for the rods is bent adjoining the axis of rotation and thus forms the stop for limiting a tilting movement of the row of rods around the axis of rotation. It is however naturally also possible for both ends to be bent accordingly.

It is especially advantageous for one end of the base wire of the row of rods to be supported in an eye of the base mat, especially of a transverse wire. Only low manufacturing costs are necessary to obtain a rotational support point of the row of rods in this way. The one of the base mats in such cases is preferably bent away from the plane of the base and shortly afterwards back into it again. The end of the base wire for the rods is pushed into the eye thus produced and is anchored rotatably as a type of loose support.

The end with the simple bend can, depending on the design of the support element, preferably serve as a fixed support and if necessary as a stop for the row of rods. The stop causes the rod wire to tilt up too far. The loose support in which the base wire end remains freely movable in the longitudinal direction can allow for tolerances. This makes it possible make allowances for the manufacturing tolerances of the base mat, of the cutlery basket and the row of rods with the base wire for the row of rods. By increasing the permitted manufacturing tolerances a measure is again taken to make possible low-cost manufacturing of the inventive crockery basket.

Advantageously the two ends of the base wire for the rods feature areas running flush with one other which form the axis of rotation of the row of rods. This means that particular components or measures are no longer necessary. The rotation of the rows of rods is an already possible through the shape of the base wire.

The distance between the connecting wire and the base wire or the bottom of the cutlery basket respectively advantageously leads to a space between the holding positions for the crockery. The piece of crockery is received in such cases between two rows of rods and is located overall between four rows of rods and lies on the two connecting wires of the rows of rods. The space between the connecting wire and the bottom of the cutlery basket advantageously causes the piece of crockery accommodated therein, especially a plate, not to touch the bottom of the crockery basket or the base mat or even to protrude through the latter. The piece of crockery is accommodated stably in this way and additionally protected against damage.

Preferably the rod wires are aligned at an angle in relation to the base wire. This facilitates accommodating voluminous pieces of crockery or and by positioning the pieces of crockery at an angle both the cleaning and also the drying of the pieces of crockery is improved. The angled position of the pieces of crockery produces no or hardly any areas on the piece of crockery which run horizontally so that water can run off quickly and without leaving behind drying marks.

A dishwasher with a crockery basket described above can be manufactured at low cost and delivers a very good cleaning and drying result for the pieces of crockery located within it.

The inventive construction of the crockery basket, especially by establishing a gap between a piece of crockery and the base mat of a crockery basket, avoids undefined points of contact arising on the piece of crockery, which improves the washing performance and the drying. Whereas with comparable dishwashers a space is established by means of additional wires or additional parts which increase costs by their incorporation into the crockery basket, with the present invention a low-cost and reliable crockery basket is created. The invention describes a flexible row of rods of a crockery basket with which it is possible, without using additional wires, to raise pieces of crockery from a base mat and to prevent points of contact. The space is preferably realized by the connecting wire which connects the wire rods.

The row of rods in a preferred version has a bend at at least one end.

The advantage of the inventive construction is especially the simplified manufacturing which is integrated into the rod manufacturing and only requires a small additional effort for angling or bending the wire ends. No additional bent or angled wire is necessary, which means that a saving in time and money is achieved by comparison with known solutions.

To hold the flexible rods in position, in accordance with an advantageous development elements are preferably provided at the start or at the end of the row of rods which especially ensure latching in the upright and/or folded position. If necessary in such cases a matching element can serve in an advantageous manner as a fixed support and an element can serve as a loose support in order to compensate for manufacturing tolerances arising. In accordance with an expedient development a bending of the base wire can advantageously bring about a reduction of a torsion of the row of rods since the wire is supported on the support. When pieces of crockery which are actually too large are introduced into the rows of rods this avoids an impermissible hinging away of the rows of rods.

Other developments of the invention are reproduced in the subclaims.

The invention and its developments as well as its further advantages are described in the exemplary embodiments below.

The respective drawings show the following schematic diagrams:

FIG. 1 a cross section through a crockery basket,

FIG. 2 a cross section through two rows of rods running in parallel, and

FIG. 3 a perspective view of a section of a crockery basket.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a cross section through an inventively constructed crockery basket 1. The crockery basket 1 consists of a base mat 2 which forms the bottom of the crockery basket 1. The bottom is framed by lateral parts 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3. A fourth lateral part is not shown in the diagram. The lateral parts 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3, like the base mat 2 of the bottom, consist of wires connected crosswise to each other. These wires cause little masking of the pieces of crockery to be dried and thereby also very good drying of the pieces of crockery, since no backwater forms. A piece of crockery 4 is shown schematically in the crockery basket 1.

The base mat 2 consists of longitudinal wires 2.1 and transverse wires 2.2 a through 2.2 d. A row or rods 5 is provided for receiving pieces of crockery 4. The row of rods 5 consists of a plurality of rod wires 5.1 which are attached to a base wire 5.2 for the rods. The rod wire 5.1 in the present exemplary embodiment is attached at right angles to a base wire for the rods 5.2, especially welded on, and is angled in its further course in relation to the latter. The rod wire can also be attached at an angle to the base wire for the rods. The effect of angling the wire is that the piece of crockery 4 is supported at an angle so that no backwater can be formed on the piece of crockery 4 and thus no drying marks can be produced. Preferably all the significant surfaces of the held piece of crockery 4 are inclined at an angle of around 30° to the horizontal, so that the water can flow easily off the piece of crockery 4. The piece of crockery 4 is held between two rods 5.1 of a row of rods 5. In this position it continues to rest against a connecting wire 5.3. The connecting wire 5.3 connects the row of rods 5.1 to one another. It runs essentially in parallel to the base wire for the rods 5.1 and at a distance A from it.

The base wire 5.2 for the rods and is bent at one end. The ends in their turn are rotatably supported on the bottom via support elements 6.1 and 6.2. The support element 6.2 is embodied as a fixed support and the support element 6.1 as a loose support.

In the present exemplary embodiment the base wire 5.2 for the rods ends at its left end section 5.2 a in a straight line. The end section 5.2 a is rotatable in the loose support 6.1 and supported to allow longitudinal movement. This enables allowance to the made for manufacturing tolerances of the individual parts of the crockery basket 1. The support element 6.1 consists of a three-fold bending of the transverse wire 2.2 a of the base mat 2, which produces an eye in this way, into which the end section 5.2 a is pushed. The end section 5.2 a is supported rotatably in the eye.

In the present exemplary embodiment there is a single bend at the other end of the base wire 5.2 for the rods. The base wire 5.2 for the rods before the end section 5.2 b forms an axis of rotation for the row of rods 5. It is arranged rotatably in a fixed bearing 6.2 and in this way positions the row of rods 5 in the longitudinal direction. The support element of 6.2 is connected to the bottom, here to the transverse wire 2.2 d of the base mat 2, especially clipped into it. This construction with a loose support 6.1 and a fixed support 6.2 enables allowance to be made for tolerances of several millimeters which are not of significance for the function of the row of rods 5 but however substantially simplify the manufacturing of the crockery basket 1 and the row of rods 5 and allow manufacturing at lower cost.

The bending, which in this exemplary embodiment is undertaken in a plane at right angles to the plane of the rod wires 5.1, causes the end section 5.2 b to be bent out of the plane of the drawing. In the raised position of the row of rods 5 the end section 5.2 b rests on a support surface of the support element 6.2 and forms a stop 7. The row of rods 5 can only be raised as far as the stop 7 and the end section 5.2 b allow. It is only possible to tilt the row of rods 5 in one direction when the end section 5.2 moves away from the stop 7 on the support element 6.2. This guarantees that the row of rods 5 is prevented from being tilted too far.

The end section 5.2 b, in the position in which it is resting against the stop 7, is secured by means of a latch 8. Only by deliberately exerting a force does the end section 5.2 b overcome this latch 8 and allow the row of rods 5 to be tilted.

The connecting wire 5.3 is arranged so that it runs in parallel to the bottom or the base mat 2 respectively. The result of the space A between the base wire 5.2 for the row of rods and the connecting wire 5.3 is that pieces of crockery 4 which are intended to be accommodated in the row of rods 5 do not come into contact with the base mat 2 or the bottom respectively nor do they protrude through the base mat 2 or the bottom respectively. This guarantees that for example spray arms which are moving below the base mat 2 do not come into contact with the piece of crockery 4 and could thus lead to the piece of crockery 4 being damaged. In addition, by using two rows of rods 5 arranged in parallel, the piece of crockery 4 is accommodated in a stable manner, as can be seen in even greater detail in the subsequent figures.

Accordingly in FIG. 2 a view transverse to the diagram depicted in FIG. 1 is shown in a cross-section. In this diagram the piece of crockery 4 is a plate which is supported on two connecting wires 5.3 running in parallel. The piece of crockery 4 is also supported on the rod wires 5.1 of the two rows of rods 5. The connecting wires 5.3 are located at a distance A from the base wire 5.2 in order to prevent the piece of crockery 4 coming into contact with the transverse wire 2.2 d. Depending on the configuration and arrangement of the rows of rods, the distance can be defined in relation to the transverse wires 2.2 a to 2.2 d or the longitudinal wires 2.1 as the distance between the connecting wire 5.3 and the longitudinal wire 2.1 or as the distance between the connecting wire 5.3 and the transverse wire 2.2 a to 2.2 d. In any event it is important that there is no contact between the piece of crockery 4 provided and one of the longitudinal wires and transverse wires 2.1, 2.2.

The base wire 5.2 for the rods is bent at its end and thereby embodies a support bush for the support element 6.2 and an end section 5.2 b for the stop 7. The stop 7 interacts with the end section 5.2 b in the tilted-out position of the row of rods 5. The dashed lines show the right-hand row of rods 5 in the non fully folded-out position. The end section 5.2 b moves in this case from a horizontal into a vertical position while the rod wires 5.1 come to rest horizontally. A latch 8 can be provided for a fixed end position both in the tilted-out and in the tilted-down position.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic perspective view of a section of an inventive crockery basket 1. Again the figure shows the two rows of rods 5 essentially running in parallel. Each row of rods 5 has a base wire 5.2 for the rods to which a plurality of rod wires 5.1 are attached. The ends of the base wire for the rods are provided with a bend on one side and are straight on the other. This creates on the side of the single bend a stop in the horizontal direction through the interaction with the fixed support 6.2 and on the other side by means of the straight end a variable-length end through the loose support 6.1 which creates an eye of the transverse wire 2.2 a. Allowances are made for manufacturing tolerances by the two different supports 6.1 and 6.2. The support element 6.2 is arranged at the intersection point of the transverse wires 2.2 d and the longitudinal wires 2.1. A stable attachment of the supports in the crockery basket 1 is obtained in this way. The end sections 5.2 b are guided in this exemplary embodiment on both sides by the fixed support element 6.2. They are held in their position by means of the latch 8.

The row of rods 5 is arranged flexibly on the bottom, here on the base mat. The piece of crockery 4 is held by the rod wires 5.1 and the connecting wires 5.3 between two rows of rods 5. Contact with the bottom of the crockery basket 1 is avoided by the distance between the connecting wires 5.3 and the bottom of the crockery basket 1 when using the intended pieces of crockery 4. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 3 the two rows of rods 5 are folded out in the same direction, i.e. not towards one another. This can be of advantage, especially with small spaces between the rows of rods 5 and long rod wires 5.1.

The present invention is not restricted to the exemplary embodiments shown. In particular similar bends at the end of the base wires for the rods are possible. It is especially advantageous that no additional bent or angled wire is necessary but that the distance is achieved by a number of wires on the row of rods running above one another. The result of this is simple manufacturing which is integrated fully or partly automated into the manufacturing of the rods with only a small outlay in time for angling or bending the end of the wires and thereby a major cost savings compared to known rows of rods. The pieces of crockery are held in accordance with the invention at a distance from the basic crockery basket which achieves good cleaning and drying while at the same time holding the pieces of crockery stably.

As an alternative to the unfolding movement connection of the roads of rods it can be sufficient if necessary to accommodate these rigidly on the bottom in the raised state. In particular they can be permanently welded, soldered or fixed using some other connecting technique to the latter.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

-   1 Crockery basket -   2 Base mat -   2.1 Longitudinal wire -   2.2 a -d Transverse wire -   3.1-3.3 Lateral parts -   4 Piece of crockery -   5 Row of rods -   5.1 Rod wire -   5.2 Base wire for the rods -   5.2 a End section -   5.2 b End section -   6.1, 6.2 Support elements -   7 Stop -   8 Latch -   A Distance 

1-14. (canceled)
 15. A crockery basket of a dishwasher for receiving pieces of crockery, the crockery basket comprising: a bottom; a plurality of lateral parts framing the bottom; and at least one row of rods arranged on the bottom to hold the pieces of crockery, the at least one row of rods having a base wire and a plurality of individual rods attached to the base wire; wherein the plurality of individual rod wires are connected to a connecting wire at a distance from the base wire; and wherein, in a raised state of the at least one row of rods, the connecting wire is spaced away from the bottom.
 16. The crockery basket of claim 15, wherein the bottom is a base mat made of wire.
 17. The crockery basket of claim 16, wherein each end of the base wire is arranged on one of the bottom and the base mat by a respective rotational support element.
 18. The crockery basket of claim 17, wherein one of the rotational support elements is a loose support element and the other rotational support element is a fixed support element for the base wire.
 19. The crockery basket of claim 17, wherein the respective rotational support element is clipped into the bottom.
 20. The crockery basket of claim 19, wherein the respective rotational support element is clipped into the wire of the base mat.
 21. The crockery basket of claim 17, wherein the respective rotational support element has a latch for each end of the base wire.
 22. The crockery basket of claim 15, wherein at least one end of the base wire has a simple bend.
 23. The crockery basket of claim 16, wherein at least one end of the base wire is supported in an eye of the base mat.
 24. The crockery basket of claim 23, wherein the at least one end of the base wire is supported in a transverse wire.
 25. The crockery basket of claim 15, wherein the two ends of the base wire have respective areas that run flush to one another, and wherein the respective areas form an axis of rotation of the at least one row of rods.
 26. The crockery basket of claim 23, wherein at least one of the ends of the base wire is angled adjoining the axis of rotation and forms a stop to limit a tipping movement of the at least one row of rods around the axis of rotation.
 27. The crockery basket of claim 22, wherein the at least one end of the base wire having the single bend forms the stop.
 28. The crockery basket of claim 16, wherein a distance between the connecting wire and the bottom is large enough that the pieces of crockery accommodated between two rows of rods do not touch one of the bottom and the base mat.
 29. The crockery basket of claim 28, wherein the pieces of crockery are plates.
 30. The crockery basket of claim 15, wherein the plurality of individual rod wires are aligned at an angle in relation to the base wire.
 31. A dishwasher having at least one crockery basket, the crockery basket comprising: a bottom; a plurality of lateral parts framing the bottom; and at least one row of rods arranged on the bottom to hold the pieces of crockery, the at least one row of rods having a base wire and a plurality of individual rods attached to the base wire; wherein the plurality of individual rod wires are connected to a connecting wire at a distance from the base wire; and wherein, in a raised state of the at least one row of rods, the connecting wire is spaced away from the bottom. 